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California Pheasant Hunting

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  2005 Pheasant Hunting Season Regs

2005 California Pheasant Hunting Season:

Archery is Nov. 12, 2005- Jan. 10, 2006.
General shotgun and crossbow season is Nov. 12 - Dec. 25, 2005.
Falconry is Oct. 1, 2005 - Feb 28, 2006.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS: Hunting License: You must possess a California hunting license in addition to the Upland Game Stamp. The cost of a hunting license is:

Annual resident $33.35.
Junior annual resident hunting license is $8.65.
Non resident annual hunting license is $115.75.
Two-Day Nonresident license, age 16 and over (not valid for big game) $33.35.
Nonresident, Special One-Day License is $16.00.
Reduced Fee, Disabled Veteran $5.25.
Duplicate Hunting License $6.85 .
Hunter Education Stamp is $3.15.

The California hunting license is good from July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. California resident and nonresident hunting licenses are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

Upland Game Stamp The stamp is $6.85 and is required for all adult license holders who hunt pheasant, turkey, doves, pigeons, snipe, grouse, ptarmigan, quail, partridge or chukar. Junior license holders are NOT required to purchase the Upland Game Bird Stamp, but must have a Harvest Information Survey stamp (free). Under the Game Bird Heritage Program, funds generated from the sale of this stamp have provided a dedicated source of funding for promoting and enhancing upland game hunting opportunities and access to both private and public lands in California. Additionally, Game Bird Heritage provides the funds for the materials and postage for "Wing Beat News". Upland game bird stamps are available from Department license sales offices and license agents throughout the state.

Definition of Resident. A resident is defined as any person who has resided continuously in California for six months immediately before the date of application for a license, tag or permit; persons on active duty with the armed forces of the United States or an auxiliary branch; or Job Corps enrollees.

Disabled Veteran Hunting Licenses. A $5.25 hunting license is available for qualified disabled veterans. To be eligible, applicants must submit: (1) a letter from the Veterans Administration verifying that the applicant has a 70 percent or greater service-connected disability and was honorably discharged from the United States armed forces; and (2) evidence of meeting California hunter education requirements. Applicants renewing this license may submit their disabled veteran hunting license from the previous year as proof of meeting eligibility requirements. The reduced-fee provisions do not apply to hunting tags or species stamps. Disabled Veteran Hunting Licenses are issued only through DFG Offices.

Hunter Education Special Requirement. Hunting licenses shall be issued to hunters only upon presentation of one of the following:

An annual California hunting license from a prior year or evidence of having held such a license; a California hunter education completion or equivalency certificate; a certificate of competence or completion of a California approved hunter education training course from any state or Canadian province; or a current year hunting license from any state, province, European country or South Africa. For further information, contact any DFG office or license agent. A California hunter education validation stamp must be affixed to hunter education certificates from California.

DAILY BAG LIMIT: Daily bag limit is 2 males per day the first 2 days of the season; 3 males per day after the first 2 days of the season.

POSSESSION LIMIT: Double the daily bag limit. You must also fill out a "Declaration for Entry" form to comply with Importation law: Section 2353 of the California Fish & Game Code if you bring any game into California from another state or country. You can get the "Declaration for Entry" form here.

SHOOTING HOURS: Shooting hours are from 8:00 a.m. to sunset.

BAITING: DFG reg. 257.5. You cannot use bait for hunting dove nor can dove be taken within 400 yards of any baited area. The definition of “baited area” shall mean any area where shelled, shucked or unshucked corn, wheat or other grains, salt, or other feed whatsoever capable of luring, attracting, or enticing such birds or mammals is directly or indirectly placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered, and such area shall remain a baited area for ten days following complete removal of all such corn, wheat or other grains, salt, or other feed.

SHOOTING FROM VEHICLES: DFG reg. 252. No person shall pursue, drive, herd, or take any bird or mammal from any type of motor-driven air or land vehicles, motorboat, airboat, sailboat, or snowmobile, except: 1) When the motor of such motorboat, airboat, or sailboat has been shut off and/or the sails furled and its progress therefrom has ceased, and it is drifting, beached, moored, resting at anchor, or is being propelled by paddle, oar or pole. (2)if they have a Mobility Disabled Persons Motor Vehicle License.

RADIO USE WHILE HUNTING: It is legal to use and posses two way radios while hunting in California with one restriction. You CANNOT herd or pursue game with the radios. Calling in to meet for lunch or needing help dragging a animal out is okay. Calling your buddy that the buck is 100 yards to his left or coordinating drives is illegal. There is no DFG reg on this but wardens will cite you under the "Fair Chase" interpretation of the game laws.

DOGS: You can use dogs to retrieve your pheasants.

TRESPASS: If the land you hunt on is not your own, it belongs to someone else. Make sure you have a legal right to be there. Contact the owner or person who administers the property, and secure written permission to hunt. A hunting license does not entitle you to enter private property.
“It is unlawful to enter any lands under cultivation or enclosed by a fence, belonging to, or occupied by, another, or to enter any uncultivated or unenclosed lands, including lands temporarily inundated by waters flowing outside the established banks of a river, stream, slough, or other waterway, where signs forbidding trespass are displayed at intervals not less than three to the mile along all exterior boundaries and at all roads and trails entering such lands, for the purpose of discharging any firearm or taking or destroying any mammal or bird, including any waterfowl, on such lands without having first obtained written permission from the owner of such lands, or his agent, or the person in lawful possession thereof. Such signs may be of any size and wording, other than the wording required for signs under Section 2017, which will fairly advise persons about to enter the land that the use of such land is so restricted.” Section 2016, Fish and Game Code.

SAFETY: It is always unlawful to: Place on, or carry or possess a loaded rifle or shotgun in a vehicle or conveyance or its attachments on any public road or other way open to the public: Hunt while intoxicated; Shoot at any game bird from a powerboat, sailboat, motor vehicle, or aircraft while under power or still moving from use of sail or motor. (See Section 251) Shoot any firearm from or upon a public road or highway.

DISCHARGING FIREARMS OR OTHER DEADLY WEAPONS SAFETY ZONE: It is unlawful for any person, other than the owner, person in possession of the premises, or a person having the express permission of the owner or person in possession of the premises, to hunt or to discharge while hunting, any firearm or other deadly weapon within 150 yards of any occupied dwelling house, residence, or other building or any barn or other outbuilding used in connection therewith. The 150-yard area is a “safety zone.”

CALIFORNIA DFG WEBPAGE is at http://www.dfg.ca.gov

2000 Pheasant Forecast

PHEASANT SEASON OPENER NOV. 11, 2000

Pheasant opener should be good in the Imperial Valley.

The Nov. 11 pheasant season opener should garner more attention for Southern California hunters this year thanks to good production of the big birds in Imperial County, according to the Department of Fish and Game staff. "I've been in Imperial County since 1980, and there's more pheasants this year than I've ever seen," said Lt. Joe Brana, state Department of Fish and Game warden in El Centro. He said the Imperial County pheasant population has "sky-rocketed" during the past five years. "It's not uncommon to see 400 pheasants on a morning patrol, just driving the roads," said Brana.

Brana attributes the sudden rise in pheasant populations to a five-year shift in an agriculture industry preference from primarily lettuce, melon and alfalfa crops, to asparagus and Sudan grass, enhancing considerably both cover availability and quality for birds. The new crops expand habitat in which pheasants conceal themselves from predators. "Until recently, I never saw pheasants on the north end of the county near Brawley and north of Holtville, but they're there now," Brana said. Pheasants can presently be found throughout the valley south of the Salton Sea, with largest concentrations located in fields south, west and east of El Centro.

Brana suggested hunters scout alfalfa and other crop fields situated adjacent to asparagus and Sudan grass crops, for best results. He noted that locations posted "no hunting" or "no trespassing", fields under cultivation, and fenced property require written landowner permission before they can be hunted. Fenced lands that contain livestock are most always closed to hunters as well. "Most landowners will give permission, especially to those who stop by prior to the season (and ask)," said Brana. Most all suitable pheasant hunting habitat is on private property, so preseason scouting and written permission is nearly always a must. Come hunt-day morning, Brana advises hunters to avoid driving about, creating a stir just prior to the 8 a.m. legal hunt start time.

Brana said such early arrivals encourage birds to vacate with haste those fields where they feed at night and where hunters have access, and scurry to the relative sanctuary of asparagus and Sudan cover, crops off-limits to visitors. "People are spooking the birds ahead of shoot time by driving around. They need to park their vehicles a good distance away, and then plan to walk quietly to the hunt field so that they arrive at 8 o'clock," said Brana. Pheasants can hunker down in thick cover with the best of upland game birds, and a good hunting dog can make a profound difference, contributing significantly to hunter success. Those with K9 assistance might also try the miles of canals that ribbon Imperial Valley, where pheasants hold up in thick vegetation.

"With a dog, you can coax the birds out of those tight brush stands where they hide," Brana said. He advised make lodging plans well prior to the Saturday, Nov. 11 statewide pheasant season opener to assure a place to stay. The sudden pheasant hunting popularity in the valley has caused motel reservations to fill quickly for opening weekend. By law, only rooster pheasants can be taken. Shooting hens is illegal, and Brana warned that if a warden cannot identify the gender of a bird in the bag, a hunter can be cited for violation of Fish and Game Code Section 3660, "possession of pheasant carcass that sex or species cannot be easily determined."

To avoid this common error, Brana suggest when cleaning birds, hunters leave the head attached until meal preparation time so that wardens can always identify gender. Brana said additional pheasant hunting violations wardens encounter each year include shooting with an unplugged shotgun, hunting without an upland game bird stamp, and possession of a loaded gun in a vehicle. Brana reminded hunters that a "loaded gun in a vehicle" can mean a loaded gun laying on the hood or leaning up again a door, both unsafe practices for which wardens can issue citations.

Littering is a significant contributor each year as well, to not only the citation count, but also the closure of future hunting access granted by landowners weary of cleaning up trash and feathers from cleaned birds left by thoughtless hunters in local fields and canals. Pheasant bag limit rules are a bit different than with most game birds. Only two male birds can be taken for the first two days of each season, then three rooster pheasants daily are allowed during the remaining 28 hunt days. Possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. Hunting ends at sunset each day, and pheasant season concludes Sunday, Dec.10.

Pheasants Forever barbecue, fundraiser set for Nov. 10 2000

EL CENTRO -- Pheasants Forever is hosting a fundraiser barbecue on the eve of this year's pheasant season opener in Imperial County. The event will be held at Rio Bend RV Park at Interstate 8 and Drew Road in El Centro beginning 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 10. Cost is only $10 per person for the carne and pollo asada barbecue buffet. Hunters must make reservations no later than Nov. 3 by calling (619) 447-1340 or sending an e-mail note to muscat@earthlink.net. There will be a raffle for a Browning BPS 12-gauge shotgun and other items, and hunters can also purchase tickets for the Pheasants Forever President's gun raffle to be held at its March 3 annual banquet. This gun is a Fabarm Classic Lion Grade 12-gauge. Hunters who plan to stay at the Rio Bend RV Park for the pheasant opener are also encouraged to make reservations in advance by calling (760) 352-7061.

Pheasant Meat Care and Recipes

HOW TO HUMANELY KILL WOUNDED QUAIL

Most hunters have developed some method to humanely kill a crippled bird. For those that are not sure, here is an easy-to- learn method that is quick and humane.

1) Place right or left thumb on base of neck where it hits the skull. Wrap the index finger underneath and grasp firmly.

2) With other hand, place a finger under the bill and lift sharply back toward your thumb. This breaks the neck.

FIELD DRESSING AND CARE

The pheasant should be dressed (gutted) as -soon as possible. It is a good idea to dress them as soon as there is a lull in the action. The basic method goes as follows:

1) Hold or place the pheasant belly side up and pluck the feathers from between the vent (anus) and the bottom of the breast bone. Pluck a few feathers at a time by pulling with sharp jerks toward the tail. Caution, the skin tears easily.

2) Make a small cut through the skin- across the area you just plucked. Make sure not to cut the guts.

3) With a small gutting hook or your finger reach up into the body cavity (toward the head) and gently pull out the guts. Pull or cut off the intestine and the vent.

4) Be sure to remove the lungs (the red-pink spongy stuff up in the body cavity). Also wipe or rinse out any blood. If you wash the body cavity out be sure to wipe it dry.

5) Next remove the crop. With the bird on its back, you will find a lump at the front of the breast at the base of the neck. Slit the skin and you will find a thin leathery pouch about the size of a large marble. It may be filled with seeds, grass, insects, and water, or nothing at all. Pull in out and discard.

You are done with the field dressing. This allows the bird to cool as quickly as possible, and removes as many sources of bacteria as possible. Small numbers of these bacteria promote aging, but large numbers will spoil the bird quickly. It is always important to get the birds cooled down and kept cold as soon as possible. It is especially so during the early part of the season when it can be quite hot. So get the birds on ice quickly. It is also important not to let them get wet in the ice chest. Water promotes the contamination and growth of bacteria.

ALWAYS KEEP THE BIRDS AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE - DIRT AND FLIES INCREASES CHANCES OF SPOILAGE.

DO NOT LEAVE PHEASANT IN GAME BAG, TRUNK OR DIRECT SUNLIGHT.

When you get home, remove all internal organs that may still be in the bird. This includes the heart. kidneys, and the wind pipe. The next task is to pluck the birds. The bird can be skinned very easily, but the skin should be left on because it adds flavor and helps keep the meat moist  when cooking

There are two methods of plucking pheasant. The dry method involves simply pulling a pinch full of feathers at a time toward the tail of the bird (with the grain). However, it is not uncommon to tear the skin when doing this. The second method, wet plucking, makes it easier to pluck without tearing the skill

To wet pluck you need a good sized pot of hot water (about 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit) filled about half way. The water should be deep enough to allow complete immersion of the pheasant. Dunk one pheasant at a time for about one minute. Remove from the water and pluck the feathers. Wipe both the outside and inside of the bird dry. Cut off the feet at the first joint above the feet, and the head. Place in refrigerator if you are going to eat it soon, or freeze it.

If you dry Pluck, wipe the body cavity dry if internal organs were not ruptured. If they were, you should rinse Out the body cavity with water and wipe dry.

STORAGE

If the pheasant are not going to be eaten within about a week, they should be frozen using one of the following methods:

1) Freeze them in water. For example: Place cleaned pheasant in a large carton. Fill with water to within 1/2 - inch of the top crease of the flat sides. Staple the top shut and label with  contents and date frozen. They will keep this way almost until next season.

2) Ziplock bags - place cleaned birds in bag and squeeze out the air and seal. Warning: if water gets onto the seal it may fail when freezing. This will result in freezer bum. You should check to see if the seal held.

3) Tightly double wrap the pheasant in heavy butcher paper and label with date and contents.

If they are going to be consumed immediately or within a week the cleaned and dry pheasant should be placed in a scaled container in the refrigerator (plastic wrap or re-sealable plastic container).

AGING

You do not have to age pheasant to have a fine meal, but to get the most out of them and if you like flavorful, tender game, you should age it. It has been found through taste tests on game that well aged meat was always rated the highest for taste, texture and tenderness. The gamey taste and tenderness of meat is caused by the breakdown of muscle tissue by certain bacteria. These same bacteria will cause spoilage of the meat if they become to numerous. This is usually recognized by a strong off-odor. The French do not consider their game sufficiently aged until it is in a condition most of us would consider rotten. Another type of bacteria can cause food poisoning, but does not grow in cold places like your refrigerator. Therefore, so long as you age your quail in the refrigerator you don't have to worry very much about food poisoning.

Aging of upland game can be done nicely in your refrigerator. Place cleaned - dry pheasant in a sealed container into the refrigerator (plastic wrap or other airtight container). They can be left there up to about 7 days (at 47 degrees Fahrenheit or less). The longer you leave them, the more gamey the taste. Birds left over 7 days may become too ripe. How long it takes to get to your favorite level of gaminess depends upon several factors:

1) How warm it was in the field. In hot weather they can spoil in a day.

2) How quickly you cooled them down. The faster the better.

3) How well they were cleaned and how badly they were shot up - Poorly cleaned or badly shot-up pheasant will age very quickly. Whenever shot has passed through the gut and into the meat aging will occur much more quickly there. These pheasant should not be aged more than three or four days before eating.

4) The temperature at which they were aged. The higher above freezing, the faster they age.

The aging process begins as soon as you kill them. Therefore, birds bagged, cleaned, and placed in the refrigerator all on the same day will take longer to age, or keep in the refrigerator longer than one bagged Saturday, cleaned and put in the refrigerator on Sunday night. The best way to tell when the game has reached a desired level of aging is by smell. It will take some experimentation to familiarize yourself with the smell of meat that has aged to your liking.

Pheasant and Wild Rice
Serves: 6
1 cup raw wild rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can mushrooms
2 1/2 cups water
Water chestnuts
2 pheasants, cut up, floured and browned
1 pkg. instant onion soup mix
Mix rice, canned soups, water, mushrooms and water chestnuts in 9x13 glass casserole. Add pheasant. Sprinkle with onion soup mix. Cover lightly with foil. Bake 2-2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.

Honey Baked Pheasant
Serves: 4
Legs and breast of 1 pheasant, skinned
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 cups honey
1 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
Fillet breast and bone the thighs. Cut into approx. same thickness pieces. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the pheasant. Dust pheasant pieces with onion powder. Melt 3/4 cup butter in skillet over medium heat. Brown pheasant pieces and place in a lightly oiled 9x13 glass casserole. Sprinkle with parsley. Add honey and 1/4 cup butter to the skillet. Mix well until butter is melted, then pour over the pheasant (should come about halfway up on the pheasant pieces). Seal the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

Pheasant Paprika
Serves: 4-6
8 slices bacon, cut up
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 lbs. pheasant pieces
1/4-1/2 cup pheasant stock or chicken broth
2 tabs butter
2 tabs flour
2/3 cup milk
1 tab paprika
1-1 1/2 cups sour cream
Hot cooked egg noodles

In medium skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until it just begins to brown. Add onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Remove from heat. Remove bacon and onion from skillet; set aside; reserve drippings. In large plastic food storage bag, combine potato flakes, 1 1/2 tsp. paprika and salt; shake to mix. Add pheasant, a few piece at a time, to bag; shake to coat. In reserved drippings, brown pheasant pieces over medium high heat. Add 1/4 cup stock to pan. Reduce heat; cover. Simmer until tender, 25 to 40 minutes, adding the additional 1/4 cup stock to pan during cooking if necessary.

To prepare sauce: In 1 qt saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Blend in 1 cup stock. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in milk, 1 tabs. Paprika and reserved bacon and onion. Cook and stir until hot. Pour sauce over cooked pheasant in skillet. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat; skim fat. With slotted spoon, transfer pheasant to serving platter; keep warm. Stir in sour cream into mixture in skillet. Cook over low heat until just heated; do not boil. Pour sauce over pheasant. Serve with hot cooked egg noodles.

Hunting and Scouting Tips

STRATEGY WITH A DOG

The key to any dog being of value to you, whether it is a pointer, flusher, or retriever, depends upon control. A dog under poor control is more likely to cause you trouble than be of any enjoyment or service to you. The greatest asset that a dog can be to a California pheasant hunter, besides companionship, is as a retriever. Pheasants are not too hard to find without a dog, but finding and retrieving downed pheasants can be very difficult.

The strategy is to start by letting the dog range freely and find fresh scent. Dogs of the pointing breeds are useful here. Once the dog has found some pheasants and come to point, the hunters must quickly decide on a strategy and maneuver into position. How well the pheasant holds depends largely on how good the cover is they are hiding in and whether they have been shot at recently. If the cover is poor or the pheasant has been hunted recently, they will most likely not hold for very long, if at all. In most cases, it is therefore a good idea to move quickly to where the dog is on point.

Anticipate that pheasants always seem to be aware of the location of every member of the hunting party, and will flush in a manner and direction to put the greatest amount of distance and obstacles between the hunters and themselves in the least amount of time. They will also try to head toward the thickest, most impenetrable cover nearby. If this is your situation, try to position yourselves either to prevent them from getting to this cover, or to at least get a shot before they bury themselves in it. Once everyone is in position and the pheasant is still holding, it can then be flushed

STRATEGY WITHOUT A DOG

There is no question, hunting pheasants with a good dog is the best way to go. However, there are a good many of us that for one reason or another must get by without a canine companion. For those of us in this situation, there is still hope, although there are several things that generally cause problems when hunting pheasant without a dog. One is finding pheasants initially and then after they have flushed. Another is finding a pheasant once you have finally managed to knock one down. The solution to the first is to know something about the behavior of pheasants. The solution to the second involves concentration and discipline.

The first step is to locate a pheasant, this goes for persons both with and without a dog. There are two keys to this puzzle: one is cover, the other is water. When given the space and time, pheasant prefer to run away rather than fly. So if you spot a pheasant running on the ground ahead of you, you have to keep up with them. Otherwise they will disappear like ghosts, But before you head out after them at a frenzied pace, it is wise to take a moment or two to think out a strategy.

One of the most frustrating things about hunting without a dog is finding downed pheasants. With a little concentration and discipline, this can largely be avoided. There are a pair of rules that must be followed to avoid losing birds.

The first rule is to ask yourself  WHERE WILL THAT BIRD LAND WHEN I ROLL IT? This question should be asked as you are raising your shotgun and tracking the bird; the question has to be answered before you smack that trigger. It does your body and the resource no good if you land a bird in the middle of a blackberry patch. A dog might be able to retrieve it, you won't! This question is especially important if you are having one of those all-to-common days where you are not quite on and are knocking down cripples. If you shoot only when they cross open areas, you are much more likely to follow and find cripples. The thing to remember about cripples is that they will fly or run to the nearest, nastiest cover, and the further they are from it when hit the less likely they are to get to it. Trying to answer this question while they are flying all about is not easy, but it will help improve your recovery rate and leave you much more satisfied. Mistakes will be made, but with practice you will improve and you won't come home with a body that looks like it's been through a shredder.

The second rule is MARK YOUR BIRD. The instant you pull the trigger on that first bird, your mind should be focused on the following series of questions:

Is the bird dead? If not, shoot it again. Live pheasants will hit the ground running if they can and disappear quickly. If the bird is still alive when it hits the ground, DO NOT take your eyes off of it. Do not even think about taking a shot at another bird. Immediately head over there and get that bird. Do not shoot the bird on the ground if you are within 15 yards of it, this is unsafe and will only destroy the bird. Humanely dispatch the bird upon retrieval.

  If it is dead, where is it falling? Don't take your eyes off of it until it hits the ground, and don't move. Note the landmark nearest to where you think it landed. Next note where you are standing. This will come in handy if you can't find the bird initially and need to replay the shot in your mind, which only works well from the original location.

Are you positive the bird is dead and you have it well marked? If you can answer yes to both of these questions, you now have the choice of going for another shot or retrieving the downed bird. It is always wisest to retrieve each pheasant first before shooting another. You will be amazed at how often a "stone dead" pheasant that landed on bare ground 50 feet from the nearest clump of grass disappears on you. The same set of questions should be answered for every pheasant you shoot at. If you do shoot a second or third pheasant before retrieving any of them, start with the most recent one shot because it is usually the easiest to find. Finding at least one of them is better than none, and gives you confidence that they can be found.

Once you have worked a field and you are not able to find them anymore, calling can sometimes produce a little more action. Find a spot where you can sit down and see some openings around cover. Give a few calls every few minutes. This can be done by mouth or with a call. It may take as long as 30 minutes or more to get any responses, so patience is necessary. You will first see them creeping along or through nearby cover. When you get them close enough, stand up quickly and they will usually take to the air. If they start running, rush toward them to get them into the air. It is tempting to "ground sluice" them, but this is not sporting and usually results in badly shot-up pheasants.

LOCATING DOWNED PHEASANT

DEAD PHEASANT

You are standing in the area where you know the dead pheasant fell, but you don't see it. Now what? Look for loose feathers on the ground. Feathers are almost always left where they hit the ground. However, there often is another group of feathers dropped by a pheasant when shot that can be misleading. The reason they can be misleading is that the bird often travels a considerable distance beyond where it was hit, and if there is even the slightest breeze the feathers can drift a considerable distance from where it might be. The two groups can usually be told apart by where the feathers are found and how tightly the feathers are grouped.

The feathers left on the ground where the bird lands are usually tightly bunched. Feathers from the in-air hit are usually found widely scattered and on top of shrubbery. Don't expect to find the pheasant sitting right there among the feathers. Most often they bounce or roll a few feet from the point of impact with the ground. When you find these feathers remember the direction it was heading when you rolled it. Search the area beyond the feathers in the same direction. If you have searched this area with no success, double the distance beyond the feathers and search again. They usually travel further than you think they did. It is not unusual to spend 30 minutes searching for a single downed bird. You owe it to the bird to keep trying.

CRIPPLED PHEASANT

When you knock down a crippled pheasant it is your moral and ethical obligation to retrieve and humanely dispatch the bird as quickly as possible. The problem is that finding crippled pheasants is commonly difficult, and this is the single most frustrating aspect of hunting without a good dog. The key to successfully finding a cripple is to get to where you knocked it down as quickly as you safely can.

The first thing you do before taking a step is to reload your gun and put the safety on. Flying cripples should always be shot again, as your chances of finding one of these if you don't knock it down near you is next to nothing. Assuming you have lost visual contact with the cripple and you are standing where you thought it should be, the first thing you should do is to listen for any sounds that might reveal its location. If you are met only with the sound of your pounding heart, look around for feathers. These will often give you the area and direction in which to look.

There are several things to keep in mind when looking for a cripple. One is that if the bird landed on sloping terrain, look downhill from where you think it landed. They almost always tumble or run down slope. Two, look for the nearest cover around where the bird landed. They may crawl into it and tuck themselves underneath whatever they can. Three, look down any holes in the area as quail will often try to hide in these holes. Don't forget to look under the edges of rocks or other debris.

CAUTION: All of the places you should be looking at to find a crippled pheasants are also good  places to find rattlesnakes! Do be careful and never stick your hand into places you cannot see into.

When you do get close or find it, the pheasants often try to run or fly away. There is a great temptation to shoot it as it runs away, but don't unless it is at least 15 yards away or going to dive into cover that you will not be able to retrieve it from. The reason for this is that at close range there is danger of a ricochet and destroying the bird beyond use. If it is flying away, do shoot it again, but let it get a least 15 yards away before shooting. Again, shooting at it any closer will just make the bird inedible.

CAUTION: Your gun should always be on safety when looking for downed birds. Always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction when trying to catch a cripple. If the bird cannot fly it is best to unload the gun and put it down so that you can use two hands.

Because the pheasant's primary defenses are hiding and running, hunters profit from working cover slowly and methodically. A zig-zag style of hunting is not only effective on birds hiding in heavy cover, but helps to interrupt the run-ahead, circle, and run-back tactics used by other pheasants. Quick, accurate marking of downed game also helps hunters find birds. Hunting partners who assume responsibility for marking each other's downed birds increase their chances of finding them by "homing in" along two lines of sight. Solo hunters can mark the spot where a bird drops, then work around it in ever-increasing circles, pausing frequently; often a brief pause is enough to make a wounded bird break cover.

In row crops, a wounded pheasant may run straight down a row without the usual zig-zagging, and carefully approaching the field's end often produces the bird. Many hunters vary their techniques as the season progresses and weather changes. Often overlooked but highly effective is early morning hunting in small grain stubble, a favorite cover type of roosting pheasants. Early in the season especially, careful and quiet movement into this cover at first morning light can provide excellent hunting. Overcast or drizzly days are especially good; in these conditions birds remain longer in the secure, comfortable cover.

Late in the season, grain stubble can be productive on overcast evenings or just before a storm breaks. Birds seem to respond to a falling barometer and move into roosting cover early. As the season progresses, pheasants still retain their early morning and late afternoon feeding habits, but spend more mid-day loafing time in heavier weedy pockets and fencerows.

A hunter needs to know the difference between a hen and rooster pheasant before he or she pulls the trigger. Most of the time, the identity of the bird flushing at your feet is obvious. There are situations, though, where it is good to hesitate or hold back. Birds flushing into a rising or setting sun are often a tough call. It's not always possible to hunt pheasants with the sun at your back, but it's a good idea. When your eyes can't make a positive ID on a pheasant, your ears might be able to lend some help. Rooster pheasants often crow or cackle when they launch. Hens are silent except for the rush of their beating wings. Early in the pheasant season, juvenile roosters can be fully colored or hardly colored at all.  

Pheasant hunting is a relatively safe sport. However, it is imperative that to remain a safe sport that certain safety rules be adhered to without exception. When you take a newcomer, especially children, into the hunting experience, part of your responsibility as a hunter is to teach that person proper safety. The following rules are good ones to LIVE by:

THE ELEVEN COMMANDMENTS OF PHEASANT HUNTING SAFETY

1) Always treat the gun as loaded.
2) Never have a loaded gun except when hunting.
3) Always make sure that the barrel and action are clear of obstructions.
4) Always carry your gun so dig you can control the direction of the muzzle, even if you stumble.
5) Always keep the safety on until the gun is brought to shoulder.
6) Always make sure your target is a quail and your backstop is not a hunter or a dog.
7) Never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot.
8) Never leave guns or ammunition within reach of children or careless adults.
9) Never climb trees or fences with a loaded gun.
10) Never shoot at a flat, hard surface or water.
11) Never drink alcohol or take other mood-altering drugs before or during a hunt.

Always know where all members of your hunting party are. The more members in your party the more difficult this will be. It is recommended to keep hunting parties as small as possible, preferably two, but no more than three. If you are with a large party, try to spread out or split into several groups of two.

If your party has found some pheasants, determine in which directions it would be unsafe to shoot. Each person should wear some safety orange, a little is better than none. Camouflage clothing is not necessary for pheasant hunting, they know where you are regardless of what you wear. Take extra precautions during deer season. Wear plenty of safety orange and talk with your buddy while hunting.

If you have to chase down a crippled bird, make sure your gun is on safety. Almost all good pheasant country is good rattlesnake country. Be careful around brush and water. When hunting in the deserts of California, always be sure to carry plenty of water. If you are hunting with a dog, make sure to carry additional water for your dog. It also pays to avoid hunting during the mid-day hours when it can be quite hot. Be prepared for cold temperatures at night.

HUNTER ETHICS

Hunting in this state and country is not a right, but a privilege. In order to preserve this privilege, it is essential that each pheasant hunter, as a representative of all pheasant hunters, conduct him or herself in an ethical manner. Without the public's support even if this support is in the form of indifference, we could lose our cherished privilege. The following are some suggestions:

1) Respect other's property: don't trespass without permission; don't litter, leave gates as you find them; if driving on someone's property, drive slowly, and don't drive off the roads; don't harass livestock; and do offer to repair or compensate for damage you may have caused.

2) Be kind and courteous: don't interfere with other hunters, campers or bird watchers; and always be helpful - whether it be telling a landowner about a hole in his fence, or offering to help fix the fence.

3) Conduct oneself as a sportsman: always hunt safely! always follow the regulations - nobody likes a game hog and don't shoot birds of prey (this includes Cooper's hawks).

Pheasant Hunting Gear List

Trespass Permission Slips For Private Land Use & Emergency Alert Sheets

You'll need Acrobat Reader to read and print these .pdf files, you can get Acrobat at

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Click the link below to get the trespass permission slip you can print.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/permission-slip-1.pdf

Click the link below for an Emergency Alert sheet you can print out and leave on your vehicle, with your family or friends.

http://www.jesseshunting.com/emergency-alert-notice.pdf

The following publications provide useful information for those wanting to hunt quail in California:

California Upland Game Magazine .... new 16 page full magazine published yearly covering quail, pheasant, wild turkeys, chukar, grouse, rabbits and squirrels. Call PH # 916-653-4263 to receive it in the mail, or pick it up at your nearest regional office.
California Game and Fish .... Excellent monthly magazine for $14.97 yearly. PH# 1-770-953-9222.
Fishing and Hunting News .... A Whole Year! (22 Issues) of F&H News ­ only $39.94. PH #  1­800­488­2827 Hours: Monday ­ Friday ­­­­ 8:30 am to 5:00 pm PDT
Western Birds .... A great 8 page newsletter published by Jim Matthews, with maps and insider info on all kinds of upland birds. $100.00 per year. Get 2 or 3 of your buddies to split the cost and you're into the birds. P.O. Box 9007, San Bernardino, CA 92427-0007 or call Jim Matthews at PH #1-909-887-3444. Email is . Now available in the JHO Store here.
Western Outdoor News .... Fine weekly newspaper with maps and tons of timely reports. $36.95 for 52 issues. Ph# 1-714-546-4370. Call the 'Hunter's Hotline' to give your story for publishing. Ph # 1-714-546-4370 ext. 48 or fax: 1-714-662-3486 or e-mail: wonmail@aol.com
Wing Beat News .... To receive the Region 2 ( Sacramento Valley) edition of Wing Beat News please call (916) 846-3315 or write to Gray Lodge Wildlife Area at 3207 Rutherford Road, Gridley, CA 95948 and request to be placed on the mailing list.

To receive the Region 4 (Central San Joaquin Valley) edition of Wing Beat News please contact the Los Banos Complex at (209) 826-0463.

To receive the Region 5 (Southern/Eastern Sierra), this area includes the counties of Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Imperial, edition of Wing Beat News please contact the editor, Scott Harris, in the Long Beach, Region 5 Office at 1-562-590-5100.

Desert Wildlife Unlimited

DWU's work in the southern California desert has stretched over nearly three decades and includes major guzzler and water source work that has helped maintain desert wildlife populations, including mule deer, dove, quail, pheasant and bighorn sheep.

NEWS

Desert Wildlife Unlimted has planted 27 fields near Niland for hunting. Here is a map of those fields.

You'll need Acrobat Reader to read and print this .pdf files, you can get Acrobat at

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

http://www.jesseshunting.com/pdf/dwu-fields-imperial-co.pdf

3000 Pheasants spotted in Imperial Valley and all on public huntable land. 6/1/02

Duncan Hunter has made available to Desert Wildlife Unlimited “AKA” Leon Leseka 3000 pheasants for hunting. The roosters are to be released on the land that Leon has worked so hard on this year for public upland hunting. The private but donated land is all in the Niland area and has been deemed undesirable by farmers. Add sweat, blood, water, seed and a truckload of money and wala the hottest public dove hunting spot in all of California. Leon says the dollar value of what has gone into these parcels is at $120K and counting. Many non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the preservation and reestablishment of crucial upland game bird habitat like San Diego Quail Unlimited and San Diego Pheasants Forever among many others have backed Leon and his work. This year what put him over the top was a grant from the DF&G upland stamp monies to the tune of $60K. Our stamp money could not have gone to a better project because when Leon spends $1.00 he gets about $3.00 out of it, that’s the magic of how he puts things together and works the system. If the State spends $1.00 at the long end of all the red tape 2 years later there sets a nickel or a lost ledger of were the dollar went. The planting of different grains and the layout of his many fields with the removal of tamarisk have been an experiment that has gone very well, nothing like what has been put together in the past. The doves including many white wings have shown up earlier than ever before and are holding. Coveys of quail are seen around the fields were bad reports are coming up and down California this very dry year. Leon has already released 1,000 pheasants and Bob Forrester has more for back up. Posted by Droopy on JHP forum.

DWU Pheasant pen raising 6/8/02

Just got back, JHO was represented by myself and Wildbirdhunter. I didn't meet everyone so I may have missed someone if I didn't meet you. We had all the poles set by 1130, followed by a carne asada lunch and cookies for desert. After lunch we headed out to the fields for a tour of what Leon and DWU have accomplished. Only one word describes it. AWESOME. It's amazing what can be accomplished with some blood sweet and $$. Fields planted with milo, Sudan grass, wheat. They have developed some incredible upland game habitat. DWU will definitely see some more of my time and $. Posted by Karsticon JHO forum. Karstic's pics from the DWU pheasant pen raising trip.

General Dynamics donated $5000 to DWU that day also. Thank you General Dynamics!

Returning Imperial Valley to prime hunting area is one goal

By Ed Zieralski, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

November 18, 2001

EL CENTRO -- Don Barthel calls it an "explosion of color," that magical moment in a pheasant hunter's day when a rooster rises from the brush, shows its colorful ringneck and noisily cackles its way into the desert sky.

"That's what it's all about," Barthel said last Saturday during the traditional pheasant opener in California.

Scan the fields of Imperial Valley on that day, any Saturday or Sunday in November and early December, and behold the sights and sounds of a different part of the country. You'll see Southern California fields turn Midwestern, with lines of hunters in fluorescent orange, walking in a line behind dogs to flush, pursue and shoot pheasants. There aren't nearly the numbers of pheasants here as in South Dakota or Iowa, but here, just as there, the hunter spirit is willing, even though the birds often are not.

"I missed my shot at one, a big wild bird, but I got that explosion of color I was looking for," Barthel said.

Chances are the bird Barthel shot at is an offspring or one of the actual birds planted by Bob Forrester of El Centro. For the last five years, Forrester has been growing and planting between 1,000 and 1,200 pheasants a year in Imperial County.

Forrester gets the birds -- roosters and hens -- as day-old chicks, and then he grows them in an incubator before transferring them to a rearing pen.

"A lot of people think I grow and plant these birds for the state, but I don't," Forrester said. "The Imperial County Fish and Game Commission pays for them out of the fine money the wardens get here in the county from fishermen and hunters who get citations."

Forrester, whose grandfather ranched here and whose family name is on a main road here, said the county was duped by one land owner who allowed pheasant stockings on his property only to later close it to the public and charge people to hunt.

But Forrester and others here are offering solutions. Forrester said the next batch of birds, and many after that, will go to the new DFG public hunting lands near Niland. The DFG's Upland Game Bird Heritage Fund will be used to plant those fields with grain crops and provide better habitat for pheasants on more than 2,000 acres of what has been fallow ground.

That will help, but it likely will be awhile before Imperial Valley returns to its prime as a pheasant hunting destination.

Forrester said pheasants were introduced to Imperial Valley in the 1920s and 1930s.

"I hunted them when I was 10 years old," said Forrester, who is 75. "And they were blue-back pheasants, smaller and snappier birds and really hard to hunt. These Afghan and Mongolian pheasants we have now aren't as tough as those were. Back then, the state planted 15,000 birds a year. A lot of those birds went into Mexicali, because some of the guys planting them took the birds across the border instead of planting them here. I know that for a fact. That's why there is such good pheasant hunting in Mexicali."

Forrester said the state, except for stocking birds for junior pheasant hunts, halted its pheasant program in Imperial Valley in the 1970s. And a storm wiped out Forrester's pheasant farm in 1976.

By the 1980s, the wild pheasant population in Imperial Valley had dropped measurably. Leon Lesicka of Desert Wildlife Unlimited said the area's clean-farming practices contributed greatly to the decline. Instead of hiding in rows of crops left standing, the birds seek drainage ditches and canals, not nearly as conducive for survival as edge-rows of crops.

Desert Wildlife Unlimited has joined with Forrester to offer a public solution to provide hunting grounds and offset the trend of pay-to-hunt fields here. The conservation group is using Game Bird Heritage Fund money to lease land in the Niland area and plant crops and produce habitat to attract doves and hold pheasants.

Lots of Forrester's birds, their offspring and the offspring of earlier birds planted by the DFG provided thrills on opening day last week.

TO JOIN DWU

Desert Wildlife Unlimited
Imperial Valley Chapter
4780 Highway 111
Brawley, California 92227
Leon Lesicka 760-344-2793

$10.00 1 year
$100.00 Lifetime

Include: Name, Mailing Address and Phone#

Pheasant Links

Ammo

Acorn Naturalists .... Pheasant calls.
Haydel's Game Calls .... Pheasant calls.
Homemade Quail Call .... Pheasant calls.
Jone's Calls .... Pheasant call.
Lohman Calls .... Pheasant calls.
Primos .... Pheasant calls.
Scott's Dog Supply .... Pheasant calls.
Sureshot Game Calls .... Pheasant call.

Chokes

Ballistic Specialties .... Angle Porting chokes.
Briley Chokes ....
Carlson's ....
Gun Docc. .... Custom turkey gun work.
Hastings Chokes .... PH# 913-632-3169
Johnny's Shotgun Chokes and Forcing Cones ....
Kick's .... They make the famous "Gobblin' Thunder" choke
Patternmaster ....
Seminole Gunworks .... Seminole specializes in the making of precision choke tubes for most makes and model of shotguns.
Trulock Chokes .... Manufacturers of superior shotgun chokes.

If you know of any other dog kennels or trainers please e-mail us at and we will update the list.

Foothill Brittanys .... Very Birdy, Natural Pointers and Retrievers (Land and Water).
Gameland Kennels Dog Training Center .... Patrick Callaghan specializing in Spaniels, Retrievers and Pointing dogs. Rattlesnake avoidance classes, boarding, obedience. 5800 Bluff, Norco, CA. 91760-0458, PH# 1-909-735-3251.
High Desert Kennels .... Bird dog training for 30 years. Family owned and run. Jimmy Berneathy Owner/Trainer.
Hunting Dog Trainer .... We are the complete Hunting and Field Trial Dog Training Program. We are located in the beautiful Southern California High Desert community of Lucerne Valley California. Our training grounds include our own 20 acres of real "Wild Bird" High Desert Habitat with Quail and Chukar available year round and Pheasants upon request with thousands of unfenced wild acres surrounding our facility. JHO Sponsor.
Reibar Kennel .... Grady Istre's excellence in dog training. 7480 Domingos Rd. Lompoc Ca. 93436, PH# 1-805-736-5309, e-mail reibar@impulse.net
Scott's Dog Supply .... Quail calls and dog gear.

Gear

Bass Pro Shop .... One of the biggest hunting and fishing gear suppliers. Stop by one of their 'Outdoor World' stores, you'll be amazed. They have calls, decoys, shells, sights, blinds camo and tons more.
Brigade Quartermasters .... Outdoor gear, military issue gear, GPS, everything you need.
Cabela's .... One of the biggest retailers of outdoor and hunting gear. They have calls, decoys, shells, sights, blinds camo and tons more.
JHO Online Store .... Vest, calls, hydration packs, clothing, boots, dog supplies, gun supplies and much more.
Lacrosse .... Excellent boots and waders.
Midwest Turkey Call Supply .... Everything you need for turkey and quail hunting.
Ranger Joe's .... Military, Law enforcement and outdoor gear.
REI ....The biggest outdoor store on the net.
Schnee's Boot's ....These guys make the best cold weather elk boots I've ever owned. I like the 'air bob' soles.
Shomer-tec .... Law enforcement and military equipment. Box 28070, Bellingham, WA. 98228 ph# 360-733-6214. Call for free catalog.
Turner's Outdoorsman .... Southern California's best hunting and fishing store.
Uncle Lee's Wing Supply .... PH# 1-800-388-9464 for your free catalog. They have GPS, clothing, and turkey and duck hunting equipment.
U.S. Cavalry .... World's finest military and adventure equipment.

Guns

Beretta ....
Browning ....
Ithaca ....
Knight Muzzleloaders ....
Mossberg .... Shotguns and rifles.
Remington ....
Ruger ....
Weatherby ....
Winchester ....

Hunting Clubs and Ranches

If you know of any other pheasant hunting clubs or ranches please e-mail us at and we will update the listing. This listing is for informational purposes only. No endorsement is implied from JHO. CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!

Abatti Farms will give you access to prime asparagus/alfalfa fields which house 100's of wild pheasants. Most of the Abatti fields are south of Interstate 8 in Imperial County in southern California. Ph# (760) 352-0543.
Antelope Valley Sportsman's Club .... Location: Roughly 15 miles west of Lancaster. Acreage: 1,200 acres of farmland, natural upland and meadows. Hunts offered: Dove, quail, pheasant and chukar. Memberships: Annual memberships start at $650, which includes 20 pheasants; family memberships are available for $795, which includes 25 pheasants. Corporate memberships are also available. Memberships benefits: Access to hunting grounds five days a week from October to March; access to clubhouse; dove, quail and chukar hunting limited to members only. Day hunts: Open fields on weekends only where you pay $45 for two pheasants and one chukar. Other hunts also available, including $100 for a private-land hunt for three pheasants and three chukar. Camping: Allowed on club compound, but no hookups or facilities are provided. Reservations: At least two days before desired hunt. Contact: 1-805-724-1291
Birds Landing Hunting Preserve .... PO Box 5, Birds Landing, CA. 94512. PH# (707) 374-5092 Fax (707) 374-5092. Contact: Dan Cirillo. 60 miles NE of San Francisco. Established 1987. 1,200 acres. Public member on site clubhouse, meals, clays. Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1/2 day, 1-120 guns.
Black Point Game Bird Club .... 7711 Lakeville Hwy., Petaluma, CA. 94954. PH# (707) 763-0076. Contact: Mike Sutsos. 25 miles N of San Francisco. Established 1964. 1,000 acres . Members only on site clubhouse, meals, clays. Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available.
Cahoon Pheasant Club .... 31249 E. Combs Rd., Escalon, CA. 95320. PH# (209) 605-7260 (209) 605-7260. Contact: David Cahoon/Tony Ragone. 3 miles N of Escalon. Established 1990. 900 acres. Public member on site clubhouse, meals, clays, Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant. Dogs available.
Camanche Hills Hunting Preserve .... 2951 Curran Rd., Ione, CA. 95640. PH# (209) 763-5270. Contact: Larry L. Skinner. 80 miles E of San Francisco. Established 1981. 1,500 acres. Public member on site clubhouse, lodging, meals, clays. Shoots: field, driven. Birds: pheasant, chukar, ducks. Dogs available. Packages: 1 day.
Camp 5 Outfitters .... Hogs, pheasants and chukar on thousands of prime acres near Paso Robles and Bradley in Central California. Info at ph #831-386-0727.
Camp Gober .... Pheasant, dove, duck and goose hunting on the Colorado River in Southern California. Contact Ron, PH# 1-619-622-1908.
Circle HH Hunting Preserve .... HCR#1, Box 512, Nipton, CA. 92364. PH# (702) 642-9405, 5pm-10pm/ Contact: Fred Hymes/Jessie Hymes. 78 miles S of Las Vegas, NV - 100 miles E of Barstow/20 miles N. I-40. Established 1988. 200 acres. Public member on site clubhouse, meals, clays. Shoots: field. Birds: dove, quail, pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1/2 Day, 1-6 guns. Circle HH Hunting Preserve is located in unspoiled country, surrounded by California's East Mojave Natural Preserve Area just 78 miles south of Las Vegas, 50 miles west of Laughlin, with interstate access off I-15 and I-40. We have committed ourselves to provide excellent hunting of pheasant, chukar and quail on a preserve that incorporates habitat improvement. An altitude of nearly 5,000 feet presents changing temperatures throughout the day, and hunters should dress accordingly. The Preserve is set up to accommodate six (6) hunters per 1/2 day reservation hunt.
Clear Creek Sports Club .... 3971 Keefer Rd., Chico, CA. 95926. PH# (530) 343-9263. Contact: Bob or Janet Henman. 45 miles N of Sacramento. Established 1986. 1,000 acres . Public member. Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1 day, 4-60 guns NAGA.
Eagle Peak Ranch and Pheasant Club .... Pheasant, chukar and spring turkey hunting on 120 acres near San Diego. Manager is Jason Caringella. Ph #619-448-1679.
Flying D Ranch Pheasant Hunting Club .... PO Box 1242, Jamul, CA. 91935. PH# (619) 468-3857. Contact: Ken Davis, Owner/Mgr. 22 miles SE of San Diego. Acres 1,200. Public member on site clubhouse, lodging, meals, clays. Shoots: field. Birds: quail, pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1/2 day, 1-30 guns.
Four Winds Pheasant Club .... 2806 May Ave., Redondo Beach, CA. 90278. PH# (310) 370-2238. Contact: Sam Elder. 75 miles SE of Los Angeles. Established 1993. 155 acres. Public member on site lodging, clays. Shoots: field. Birds: quail, pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1 day, 1-36 guns NAGA.
Fun In The Sun Hunting Club. .... Quail, chukar dove and pheasants. El Centro Ca. PH# 760-352-3648.
G&G Pheasant Shoot & Sporting Clays .... PO Box 116, Gazelle, CA. 96034. PH# (530) 435-2309. Contact: John or Dot Giorgi. 40 miles S of Oregon Border off of I-5, near Mt. Shasta. Established 1980. 750 acres. Public member on site clubhouse, clays. Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available.
Gaines Ranch .... PO Box 132, Durham, CA 95938. PH# (530) 882-4607 (530) 882-4607 Contact: Fred Gaines. 60 mi. N of Sacramento. Established 1991. Acres 1,600. Public member on site lodging, meals. Shoots: field, blinds. Birds: dove, quail, pheasant, chukar, ducks, geese. Dogs available. Packages: 1/2 day, 1-8 guns
Golden Ram Sportsman Club .... 840 Hinckley Rd., #250, Burlingame, CA 94010. PH# (650) 692-6670 10-5, M-F Fax (650) 692-6670 Contact: Nick Tacito/Lou Federico. 10 mi. NW of Sacramento. Established 1970. Acres 3,000. Member only on site clubhouse, meals. Shoots: Field birds quail, pheasant, chukar, Huns, ducks, geese. Dogs available. Packages: 1/2 day, 25-50 guns.
Greenhead Land .... 1411 Grove St., Alameda, CA 94501. PH# (510) 865-4392 Fax (510) 865-4392 Contact: Ray Lewis. 30 mi. W of Yuba City. Established 1922. Acres 700. Member only on site clubhouse, lodging, meals, clays. Shoots: Field, blinds birds dove, pheasant, ducks, geese. Dogs available.
Guns & Roosters Hunting Preserve .... 31661 Rd. 160, Visalia, CA. 93292. PH# (559) 798-1966, after 5pm. Contact: Dave Hamilton. 45 miles S of Fresno. Established 1991. 2,100 acres . Public member. Shoots: field. Birds: quail, pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1/2 day, 2-35 guns. NAGA.
H&H Gun Club .... 3971 Keefer Rd., Chico, CA. 95973. PH# (530) 343-9263. Contact: Bob Henman. 10 miles south of Chico. 1,100 acres . Member only on site clubhouse. Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available.
Hastings Island Hunting Preserve ..... 7758 Hastings Island Road. Rio Vista, CA. 94571. PH# 707-678-3325, 8am-4pm. Fax PH# 707) 678-3325. 50 miles E of San Francisco . Established 1969. 4,700 acres. Member on site clubhouse, meals, clays. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available HDW NAGA.
Henman's Pheasant Ranch .... 3971 Keefer Rd., Chico, CA. 95926. PH# (530) 343-9263. Contact: Bob Henman. 15 miles S of Chico. Established 1983. Public member on site clubhouse. Shoots: field. Birds: pheasant, chukar. Dogs available. Packages: 1 day.
High Desert Hunt Club .... European pheasant shoot, fashioned after the 18th century sport in Europe. P.O. Box 89, Gorman, Ca. PH# 1-888-425-HUNT. Contact: Lisa McNamee. 60 mi. N of Downtown Los Angeles. Acres 8,000. Public, member on site clubhouse, meals. Shoots: field, tower. Birds: quail, pheasant, chukar. Dogs available HDW. Packages 1/2 day, 1-60 guns NAGA. Bird processing. Brochure available. Corporate hunts. Half, full and multi-day hunts. Experienced guides. Excellent upland game habitat. High Desert Hunt Club is located just 60 miles from Downtown Los Angeles. We have committed ourselves to provide excellent hunting for Wild/Native Valley Quail and top quality, flight conditioned, released Pheasant, Chukar, and Bobwhite Quail. Our professional staff is trained to cater to each unique need; business entertainment or individual.
Lakeview Farms, Inc. .... 5490 Riosa Rd. West, West, Lincoln, CA. 95648. PH# (530